


tender summer

by juneymoony



Category: My Babysitter's A Vampire
Genre: Coming of Age, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Growing Up, M/M, Requited Unrequited Love, Short & Sweet, Summer, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-21 04:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19995586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juneymoony/pseuds/juneymoony





	tender summer

Tender Summer

by juneymoony

*

It had been a cold winter, translating into a bitter spring. The sun had barely blotted the sky for more than a few days at a time. But as the sleepy town of White Chapel flitted to life, slowly awakening from the rotting seasonal slumber, the thrum of summer spread throughout the ground underneath them, translating into bubbling within everyone they met. Surely though a foggy haze of euphoria settled over the timid town as may ended, bringing with its ending the beginning of summer. The eventides longer, and the nights gauzier, as everyone began to sink into undeniable rituals. 

Benny Weir was no exception to this rule. He awoke every morning greeted with a film of sunlight filtering into his window, haloing his frame. He was notably awoken abounding times by his swain, Ethan Morgan. His unrequited love had been spurring him on all this time, allowing him to become involved in such devious practices as hunting and slaying all the mystic entities that threaten the cozy town of White Chapel. Ethan would usually gust in, chirping about some newfound threat to their safety. Benny would just give him a soft smile, and Ethan would just give him a breathless grin, before demanding Benny get his ass up and over to Ethan’s house where the rest of the tribe was awaiting them. Benny found himself being swept up into the melodrama of Ethan’s beguin for Sarah. Benny tried tirelessly to quell his burning jealousy that the brunette seers’ affection was allotted to a vampire and not his best friend wizard. 

It wasn’t like his burning desire for Ethan had ever hindered him from maintaining a purely platonic companionship with him. But he had longed for more, but was predominantly satisfied with admiring him from afar. But he didn’t truly mind the way Sarah had nestled her way into Ethan’s heart, hell, if she treated him as wonderfully as he deserved than he wouldn’t object to them going steady. He just vastly appreciated Ethan being happy and healthy, and if he would be that way with Sarah, than so be it. 

*

This all compiled up into an innocent situation. Summer was still in full bloom whenever Ethan finally popped the question to Sarah about an actual date. It had taken him long enough. He had supposedly liked her since freshman year and now they were about to be seniors, and Sarah and Erica were about to head off to college. The summer had felt different than all the others before it. It felt vital, important, more like a damnation than a pleasantry. Benny had felt a lull in the bond between the friends, a lull they were trying so desperately to mend. They took time to swim and sink into lakes with clear diamond faceted water, they climbed spiraled mountain trails that took them to tall peaks with jagged edges and numbing heights, they took themselves to cabins in the middle of feral silva, they hunted creatures of the night with lunges and magic, they found ways to strip away their skin, revealing the scars and craters underneath. It was a defining summer, or so they were convinced. 

But then came the day when Sarah and Ethan trudged from the porch to Ethan’s car, waving anxious goodbyes to their cohorts. Erica and Rory began to ramble about how their kids would look, or who’d be the godparents, or what color their future home would be. Benny sat blandly by, chiming in now or then with a joke or two. Benny headed home quite early, despite Erica and Rory’s vehement protests. He just didn’t want to catch any glimpse of Ethan and Sarah being tenderly affectionate. He laid down, vowing not to cry, but caught himself with eyes brimming. He stool himself into sitting down and weeping into his comforter. Just the thought of the love of his life, devoting himself to Sarah was such a nasty thought, it won out above all others. Benny had never felt so sad and humiliated as he did in that moment, he had been deluding himself into believing that Ethan should or would ever feel the same. He had fleeting moments during that first night of casual indifference but would soon devolve into his guilt and sadness once again masquerading themselves as tears and choking sobs. 

*

Benny’s contempt had lasted the whole month of June, and filtered into July. Then came Independence day. Every year, the sweet Morgans would host a barbecue, and this year, everyone but Benny snagged a date. Ethan and Sarah, of course went with each other, while Rory met a girl named Lola at a local salvation army, and Erica was going with some girl named Mary Margaret who travelled across country living out of a van. Benny, went stag, as always. Ethan had casually wondered aloud during a rendezvous of the group, about how Benny could get a date but he chose not to which was puzzling. Benny had rolled his eyes as witty banter between the friends ensued on the topic of why Benny chose to go unaccompanied to everything. 

The barbecue was lively as eventide pressed in around them, cementing them into a sort of bubble of fireflies, wildflowers, good food, and pleasant conversation. Benny was enjoying himself, schmoozing and chatting softly with people he knew, as well as sipping iced tea and parading around a full plate of grilled meat. He was then invited to tag along with the momentary couples as they wanted to hunt down some sort of adventure to a better stoop to watch the fireworks from. Benny knew the perfect place, and as everyone piled into his beat up old Cadillac, he blasted his grandmother’s music tapes and rolled all the windows down, trying to cool off the stuffy car. They were all piled on top of each other in a car with no AC, so it was bound to get a little sweaty. They cooled off a bit as Benny swerved up a twisting road to the towns overlook point, more specifically and aptly named ‘make out point’, but it did have the best views in town, and no one ever ventured up there on holidays too afraid of something Benny couldn’t place. But as he sat with his friends on the hood of his car, he sat farther back, letting the lovebirds be lovebirds, he chose to park himself on the roof, he felt like maybe he had pinpointed it. 

Everything felt so small, you felt so big. And this was it. The final countdown to real life. He could feel the dread in his stomach, the knowledge of growing up, and moving on, having a practical, real life. This was the final stretch. The home run. Damn, how depressing growing up truly is. 

*

Ethan and Sarah were having continuous, all encompassing fights, over everything, constantly. Rory and Erica snidely suggested they get a marriage counselor. Sarah had snapped at them, saying her and Ethan were fine, they just fought, like all couples. Benny knew that lovers fought, but not like that. People always had that saying ‘fight like a married couple’, but truly fighting like batshit insane people was not that wonderful, or that often of a ordeal. But all once, the fighting ended, a gentle breakup ensued. Ethan nor Sarah would elaborate on what had caused the cataclysmic fight that resulted in a fit of breaking up. Sarah and Ethan were still close, seemingly bonded by this secret they both knew. Benny desperately wanted to know, to be trusted enough by his closest friend to know. It was the middle of July when something spectacular happened. A pack of fearsome werewolves invaded White Chapel, and left behind a bloody trail of destruction in their wake. Benny had broken his knee, resulting in crutches and feeble help from his compandres. Ethan was so worrisome about him though. It was nice to get some sort of attention for all his valiant efforts to beat the werewolves.

One evening in early august a couple weeks before school started back up, he and Ethan hung out on the back patio of grandma Weir’s house. Ethan turned to stare at Benny in all his golden bathed light from the sunset. Benny turned to look at him fondly staring at the halo of light around him and adjusting his aching knee. Ethan then leaned in, placing soft lips against soft lips. It wasn’t how they describe first kisses to be in movies or books. It felt strange, foreign feeling, with a touch of longing, mixed with a sense of departure, like when you swing so high and now you’re plummeting to the ground. The emotions Benny felt were overwhelmingly simple. Pure love. As they both pulled away, they touched their lips. Ethan giggled a little, before tilting his head back and laughing happily. Benny made a sort of choking noise, tears springing up in his eyes as he realized it had always been the same for Ethan. He laughed with his best friend, feeling that shaky, happy feeling return, a sort of euphoria settling around the happy atmosphere. 

They both sat back, and Benny felt at peace with the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, growing up was just as beautiful as being young.


End file.
